LG Prada Review - Hardware
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Alfredo Padilla Published on June 25, 2007 Comment on this |
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Keypad
Text Words Per Minute (6.76)
To test how easy it is to enter text on the LG Prada we time how long it takes to type out a short sentence using two hands and predictive text. We repeat this test five times and take the average for our score. The Prada took an average of 28.38 seconds to enter our sample text. This works out to 33.8 words per minute (WPM), which is a decent score. We have to admit that we had our concerns about a phone that uses a touch screen interface, but the Prada did better than the LG Chocolate's 25 WPM and the Nokia N95's 29.28 WPM. It obviously isn't as good as phones with QWERTY keyboards, that can reach 40 WPM and above, and the learning curve was rather steep, with our first few runs coming in at 34+ seconds before we finally got comfortable with the touch screen interface. Still, the Prada's decent showing may give iPhone buyers hope that Apple's touch screen keyboard will be usable too. Although it should be noted that the Prada uses a keypad interface on the touch screen, while Apple's trying to cram a whole QWERTY keyboard in. One hint as well, when using T9 on the Prada and the predicted word is not the one you want, simply use the volume keys to switch to other predicted words.
T9 and Auto Complete (5.0)
The LG Prada supports T9 predictive text when using the on screen keypad. It does not support word completion, which is a shame as this could reduce the number of screen touches you need while typing.
One Hand Usability (5.7)
In order to be complete in our testing we repeat our words per minute (WPM) test using only a single hand. The Prada took significantly longer with a single hand at 33.64 seconds, which works out to 28.5 WPM, over 15% slower than using a single hand. This is a bigger difference than we usually see on phones with keypads, but the Prada is of course not a typical phone due to its touch screen interface. We found that the difficulty when using a single hand on the Prada was that the buttons were difficult to reach. Still, even with this issue the Prada didn't do terribly in this test, just run of the mill.
Keypad Backlighting (1.0)
The LG Prada does not have a keypad that needs to be backlit, however the send and end keys are backlit so we will award a single point here.
Controls
D-Pad/Joystick (0.0)
The LG Prada does not have a directional pad or joystick, instead depending upon interaction with the touch screen to get around.
Touch Screen (9.0)
The principal method of controlling the Prada is via it's touch screen. We found the screen to be fairly responsive, with only occasional lag. The buttons on the screen are designed to be used by your fingers, thus obviating the need for a stylus such as on Windows Mobile Professional phones. We were very happy with how well the touch screen on the Prada worked.
Jog Dial (0.0)
The LG Prada does not have a jog dial.
Soft Buttons (0.0)
The LG prada does not have soft buttons.
Volume Control (6.0)
The volume keys on the LG Prada are located near the middle of the left side. The keys are the same silvered plastic that runs as a strip around the phone and sit just a slight bit above the surrounding plastic. There is a small indentation that differentiates the up and down buttons, but this is difficult to find by feel. When pressed the keys are a little stiff and don't provide much play or tactile feedback. They are well placed for usage however, which is important since they are also used for occasional additional functions like switching between predicted words during text entry.
Power and Standby (6.0)
The power button on the Prada is a secondary function of the end key. A long press on the key will switch the phone off completely, while another long press will turn it back on. The key feature of any power button is how well it is protected from accidental presses, and here the small size of the end button is a boon.
Other Buttons (6.0)
In addition to the buttons we discussed above the Prada has a couple of additional buttons. On the left side, below the volume keys, is a profiles button. A single press on this key brings up an on screen menu where you can select from four different profiles. A long press will switch between the general and vibrate profiles. On the right side of the phone is a dedicated music key. A single press will bring up the music software. Once you have music playing another press will take you back to the home screen with music playing in the background. A long press on the key will activate the camera, and in this mode it acts as a shutter button. Just above the music/camera key is a key that locks/unlocks the screen with a single touch. Finally, between the send and end keys is a back or correct key. This takes you back to the previous screen or deletes one character when entering text. We found ourselves using all of these extra keys, they are well thought out and useful.
Display
Primary Screen Gross Resolution (8.5)
The LG Prada has a 240 x 400 pixel resolution display. This is higher resolution than the QVGA displays that have been popularized recently and we appreciate having the extra screen real estate. This is especially important for a device that uses it's touch screen as the principal interface. Our score for screen resolution is standardized based on the total number of pixels displayed.
Primary Screen Pixels per Inch (7.77)
Pixels per inch is a measure of how densely pixels are packed into the screen. Higher pixel density leads to richer colors and sharper images on the display. The LG Prada's display packs 155.5 pixels per inch (PPI). This is about average, slightly higher than the T-Mobile Wing's 142.2 PPI display and roughly the same as the Nokia N95's 153.8 PPI. It is significantly lower than the LG Chocolate's 200 PPI, although it should be noted that the Chocolate's much higher pixel density comes as a result of a much smaller screen. Our score for pixel density is standardized based on a phone's PPI score.
Screen Physical Size (7.5)
The LG Prada's display measures 3 inches diagonal. This is a very large display for a phone, larger than the Nokia N95 and T-Mobile Wing, both of which have 2.8 inch displays. It's as big as the Apple iPhone display, although it falls short of the large 5 inch display found on the HTC Advantage. The size of the display is more than large enough to provide space for the large icons and controls that are necessary when your primary input is a finger on a touch screen.
Screen Brightness (3.15)
To test screen brightness we point the phone's web browser to a blank white page and set brightness to maximum. We then measure the screen's brightness from four inches away using a lux meter. The LG Prada's screen measured 43 lux, which is a little below average for phones. The screen does not automatically adjust the brightness, however you can set the backlight to one of four brightness settings.
Screen Bright Light Performance (1.0)
To test performance under bright light we shine 3000 lux of light onto the display and judge how well we can discern items on the screen. The Prada performed terrible in this test, the screen was almost completely illegible. Be sure to look for shade if you want to use the Prada on a sunny day.
Color Depth (8.0)
Color depth is a measure of how many colors a screen can display. The more colors the better things like photos, videos and other complex items appear on the display. The LG Prada displays 256,000 colors, which is more than the 65,000 color displays that most phones have settled on nowadays. It is not as much as the 16 million color displays that you find on phones like the Nokia N95, and given that the Prada is supposed to be a high end phone we are a little disappointed that it doesn't match Nokia's high end phones. Our score for color depth is standardized depending upon how many colors are displayed.
Ports & Storage
Power & Data Ports (2.0)
The LG Prada uses a single proprietary port for both power and data cables. The port is located on the left side of the device, near the top, and is protected by a hard plastic cover that remains attached to the body when opened. We would have preferred to see LG use a standard Mini USB port here, there's certainly enough room on the device for it.
Headphone & Jack Compatibility (2.0)
The same proprietary port that's used for data and power is also used for the headset. In this case however LG has included a wired microphone with music controls that you can plug a standard 3.5mm headphones into. This is much appreciated as it not only allows you to use any headphones you wish, but also gives you music controls and a microphone to be used for taking calls.
Internal Storage (1.0)
The LG Prada has 8 MB of built in storage. This is a rather small amount for a phone that has a built in 2 megapixel camera and boasts multimedia functions. You won't be able to take many photos before filling up the memory, and you certainly won't be able to store many songs or videos. You are better off using an external Micro SD card for storage.
Expansion Slot & Format (3.5)
The LG Prada uses Micro SD cards for expanded storage. The Micro SD card slot is located in the battery slot just underneath the sim card slot. This rather fiddly position makes it very difficult to get the card in or out, and it certainly isn't hot swappable. Micro SD cards are widely available up to a maximum of 2GB of storage. This is enough storage for about 500 MP3's.
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